Kmart invited the whole community to join the opening day celebrations which kicked off in the morning with ceremonial speeches, cutting of the ribbon, free family entertainment as well as goodie bags for the first 100 customers and more.
Joining John Gualtieri, Chief Executive Officer for Kmart Australia and New Zealand at the store opening, was Deputy Premier and Minister for Western Sydney, Prue Car alongside local Councillor Todd Carney and members of the local community.
The latest St Marys store takes Kmart’s footprint in Sydney’s West to a total of 18 stores, with two of the retailers most popular stores nationally situated in the catchment.
With 164,000 residents in the catchment, there is a high proportion of younger lower-income families earning a lower-than-average household income of $76,800 compared with Sydney’s average of $113,800.
It’s families like this that John Gualtieri, Chief Executive Officer for Kmart Australia and New Zealand says will benefit the most from easier access to a Kmart store.
“Our entire proposition for Kmart is to focus on making everyday living affordable for Australians through access to great quality products that they can afford. We know that with the cost-of-living crisis, this commitment has never been more important for our customers,” Gualtieri says.
“For many of our customers, every dollar saved when they shop with us means an extra dollar on mortgage or towards bills. It’s not just the jobs that we create that are important when we open a store, it’s also the access we are providing to great quality products at the lowest prices to make life that little bit easier that matters.”
The St Marys town centre is set to get a major boost with a new metro train line under construction that will connect the town to the upcoming Western Sydney Airport, expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
The new transport hub will be a key gateway, creating more jobs, supporting the local community, and improving connections across Greater Western Sydney, setting the area up for future growth.
Deputy Premier Car welcomed the opening of the store and the new employment opportunities that come with it.
“Having the suburb’s first Kmart store opening today is a much-needed addition to the town centre,” she says.
“Not only is this great for local families, but the opening of this store will bring in almost 200 new jobs to the area. A majority of the store’s staff are under 21 years old, and I am pleased that our young people are now able to kick off their work experience right here in our community.”
The St Marys store will also be the latest Deadly Store for Kmart – a network of over 100 stores that are situated in areas with high representation of First Nations peoples and are designated stores designed to not only increase cultural awareness and connection to better serve customers, but also provide a vehicle for delivering dedicated Indigenous employment impact and outcomes.
Due to the success of the program to date, Kmart and sister brand Target Australia have become one of Australia’s largest employers of Indigenous Australians with over 5% Indigenous representation.
The Kmart St Marys store can be found at St Marys Village Shopping Centre, 10 Charles Hackett Dr, St Marys, NSW 2760. Trading hours include 8:00am to 10:00pm on weekdays and 8:00am to 8:00pm closure on weekends.
